USC Trojans: Isaiah Collier, Bronny James Fail To Cruise Past Washington State Despite Boogie Ellis Heroics

The Washington State Cougars stopped USC in its tracks as Issac Jones’ fourth double-double (26 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists) along with a valuable 17 points from Jaylen Wells handed the Trojans a 72-64 loss at Galen Center. The game went down the wire as USC’s No.5 Boogie Ellis (18 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists) kept the home team in the hunt till the last minute.

Consequently, this is the first time since 2015 that the State Cougars have held Southern California. With this loss, the Trojans have now lost 8 NCAA games this season which places them 8th in Pac 12.

USC falls in a nerve racking encounter

The Trojans started the opening half confidently by getting an early lead on the visitors. Point guard Boogie Ellis with some assistance from Isaiah Collier and Kobe Johnson provided early momentum for USC. After this, junior forward Jaylen Wells led a 9-2 run for the State Cougars and got Washington ahead. Moreover, the Trojans were struggling to get past Washington’s defense as they were without a point for more than three minutes.

Following this, USC’s talented No.33 Kijani Wright took matters into his own hands and combined with Collier to level the score with 2 minutes left in the first half. However, 6-9 forward of the State Cougars Issac Jones ensured the visitors ended the half with a 1-point lead.

Washington remained in the lead for some time in the second half. But, Boogie Ellies got the Trojans ahead and looked in total control by quickly entering his double-digits for the night. The battle went back-and-forth as the lead changed hands 17 times in the next few minutes. In addition to this, both teams had a surge while landing their 3-pointers. Further, DJ Rodman’s 2nd three in less than 5 minutes resulted in the 9th tie for the night. Eventually, it took a monster effort from Issac Jones to seal the deal for the visitors.

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For the second game in a row, LeBron James‘ eldest son Bronny was seen struggling in the middle.

The poor show for Bronny continues

The 19-year-old McDonald All-American Bronny didn’t trouble the scorers Wednesday night at the Galen Center. Apparently, the 6 ft 4 in guard was the only player from the Trojans’ locker room who failed to register a single point to his name. He was 0 for 3 in the 15 minutes he spent on the hardwood with his father and Lakers star LeBron in attendance. He failed to impress in USC’s game against Stanford as well where ended with just 2 points and 2 rebounds.

The road becomes tougher and tougher for the Trojans. They now have a 50% win-loss record in the tournament so far. It’s time for head coach Andy Enfield to make some drastic changes in his tactics if he wishes to keep USC in the race.

What are your thoughts on the game? Let us know in the comments section.

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